QUINCY, Mass. — Two workers were rushed to the hospital after a wall collapsed inside the former Wollaston Theater in Quincy.
Demolition of the building began a few weeks ago. As the workers were taking down the final wall, it collapsed.
One of the workers was able to jump away from the collapse, preventing serious injury. A second worker was closer to the wall and unable to escape.
The second worker, a man in his 40s, became trapped when a steel beam fell across his body. The wall then fell on top of the beam.
“The beam may have actually saved him by taking some of the pressure of the brick wall off of his body...He kind of was in a cavity,” Deputy Fire Chief Jack Cadegan said.
A man who had been documenting the demolition process since it first began described the "meticulous" work that had gone into it. He said the workers had been "doing it slow and being careful."
Federal safety inspectors are looking into the collapse.
Jamie McGuinness, the owner of the construction company, released the following statement:
“Our workers’ safety and well-being are our top priorities and after visiting them in the hospital, I am relieved to report that both Jorge and Phil are recovering from the injuries they sustained in this afternoon’s accident. The accident occurred during the last few minutes of the demolition process to remove the final section of the exterior wall. All proper construction procedures were followed and the demolition plan was reviewed and approved by an independent structural engineer and is on file with the city. I spoke with an OSHA representative onsite this afternoon and will continue to provide any additional information they may require.”
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
